Stainless Exhaust Failure

[KenBolton]

The exhaust system has been on my car about 10 years. No rust or burn through however, the weld hoding the tailpipe to the muffler broke through. Has anyone else experienced this?

[alexiskai]

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67234

Long discussion that mentions this issue

[KenBolton]

Thanks for the reference. I called Aries and they are sending me the correct clamp at no charge.

[Smokedtires]

Sounds like a good turn out for you Ken. Thanks for sharing.

[Y-Blockhead]

If anyone is considering getting an Aries Stainless Steel Muffler... don't. I was somewhat disappointed. While the muffler its self performs well, it certainly is not stainless. And while I have not had any weld failures, I am concerned about them because the welds are rusting?

Get the plain steel one.

[KenBolton]

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So I learned from this thread that the tailpipe clamp is suppose to be loose enough for a bit of give of the pipe within the pipe. After repair my system I found I needed a longer clamp bolt to leave this clearance. I also noticed the pipe had been rubbing on the frame. I place a shim between the tailpipe and the frame and resealed and clamped the exhaust pipe to the manafold. This seemed to maintain clearance between tailpipe and frame.
I next checked a second vehicle to find both a tight clamp and tailpipe against the frame. I am concerned that after loosing the clamp bolt the the added give and rubbing against the frame will eventually wear a hole through the tailpipe. Is the front clamp intended to keep the tailpipe away from the frame rail? Should I make this change to my second A as well?

[32Ford13]

My stainless muffler was a bit of a fuss to get installed so there was no rubbing and proper manifold seal. Once I did (clamp with clearance), it has been no issue. Only a few hundred miles though.....thanks for the heads up.

[Bob Johnson]

Stainless steel is naturally corrosion-resistant, but it is not immune to rust. While it is less prone to rusting than conventional steels, exposure to damaging chemicals, saline, grease, moisture, or heat for extended periods of time can cause corrosion.

[ronn]

Well said Bob. for some reason, everyone thinks stainless does not rust. it does..............


just lasts longer then normal steel.


I have a stainless grill out back-20 yrs old. never cover it and it goes and goes. The bronze burners have been replaced 3x, but why buy a new one?

[JayJay]

We used to use 304 and 316 alloys for chemical laboratory countertops and equipment enclosures. Reasonable choice except for exposure to hydrochloric acid. Those alloys were just eaten up by chlorides. I’m not sure what alloy Aries uses but road salt is a chloride…

You can also see that same issue in stainless steel sinks when used around coastal environments and salt air.

[Phil Brown]

A lot of different grades of stainless steel all with differing degrees of corrosion resistance. The cracking of the welded joints that you see from time to time is most likely from a lack of back side air purging during the welding. The molton weld puddle on the back side gets contaminated with with oxygen instead of a cover gas like it does on the top side.
Can you weld stainless exhaust or headers without back gas purging, sure, but it will most likely eventually crack.

[Fullraceflathead]

What Phil said is 100% correct also many grades of stainless steel are magnetic my 1965GTO has stainless steel hubcaps but they are definitely magnetic there are a lot of variations of stainless steel!!!

[Keith True]

I have two stainless Aries,and one plain steel.The stainless are about 20 years old,and the steel one about 15.I've worked on equipment all my life,and was shown early on to never install anything under tension.be it a hydraulic tube,fuel line,coolant tubes,air brake lines,make sure it fits properly before fastening it.If I can't fit the muffler properly,and hold it in place with my hands,I won't clamp it up.I correct either the manifold,or bend the pipe,but if it doesn't want to sit naturally where it is supposed to go I find out why.I won't use a floor jack to force the pipe flange up to the manifold flange,I bend things until it wants to go there.Then I use the jack as an adjustable jack stand to hold the pipe while I put the clamp on.All of mine are doing fine,one stainless has 54,000 miles on it.None of my rear clamps are tight though,I use a long bolt with a spring and a cotter pin.They should be rattling,but I've never noticed it.

[KenBolton]

And,,, should I be concerned about the tailpipe riding against the fram rail?

[ronn]

not at all- unless something is getting pinched.

[Jim/GA]

Originally Posted by KenBolton

And,,, should I be concerned about the tailpipe riding against the fram rail?

Concerned? Not Really...

If the tailpipe is loose in the clamp, so that it can slide in the clamp, then it might also rattle against the frame. Rattles can be annoying but not going to hurt anything.

If you bump it with your hand and you don't hear a rattle, I would not worry about it.

I think all of my tailpipes rest against the frame. They are all free to slide in the clamp (1 is stainless, the other 2 are mild steel) but they don't rattle.

Here is a picture I took recently of a mild steel tailpipe in the clamp. You can see the marks where it expands when it gets hot. I am told stainless expands more.

[David in San Antonio]

For what it’s worth, in Europe it’s called inox. I think short for in-oxidizable. And the flatware and kitchen ware vary greatly in their “non-rust” characteristics. It appears their expectations are different than ours in the US.

[CT Jack]

I am just guessing but Aries might be welding with a mild steel welding wire and if so the weld joint would have poor corrosion resistance.

[oldspert]

It would not be correct but, couldn't a modern clamp with the rubber between the pipe clamp and the frame be used?
Ed

[KenBolton]

Thanks!